KR20220025078A - Airport Stand Apparatus and Method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an airport stand device 100, a remote sensing system 110 configured to detect an aircraft 10 in a sensing area 112 (the sensing area 112 includes the stand area 140); and A controller 120 comprising: determining, based on sensor data received from a remote sensing system 110 , one or more estimated exterior surface locations 150a' on the aircraft 10; Each estimated exterior surface position is an estimated position of an associated actual exterior surface position 150a on the aircraft 10 , the actual exterior surface position 150a delimiting an end of the aircraft within the sensing area 112 . and comparing the one or more estimated outer surface locations 150a' to one or more coordinates of the stand area 140 to determine whether at least one of the one or more estimated outer surface locations 150a' is outside of the stand area 140 . and if it is determined that at least one of the one or more estimated exterior surface locations 150a' is outside the stand area 140: to the airport stand device 100, configured to output an aircraft parking warning signal A it's about

Description

Airport Stand Apparatus and Method

The present invention relates to an airport stand apparatus and method. More specifically, the present invention relates to an airport stand apparatus and method for determining whether an aircraft is completely within a predetermined stand area.

Airport stand devices of the kind disclosed herein are generally used to monitor aircraft in the stand area or an area proximate thereto. Some of the airport stand devices of this kind have means and functions for automatic docking of aircraft. Such airport stand devices are sometimes referred to as airport docking systems.

A problem with existing airport stand devices is that the accuracy of determining whether an aircraft is actually parked within the stand in a safe manner is poor. Often, existing airport stand devices communicate information to personnel and/or systems at the airport that the aircraft has been safely transported when, in fact, the aircraft is parked in an unsafe manner within the stand. Such unsafe parking can increase the probability of an accident at the stand. For example, other aircraft and/or airport vehicles passing or traveling within the stand may collide with an unsafely parked aircraft.

Thus, while existing airport stand devices enable efficient and safe docking and/or monitoring within common stand areas, the technology of airport stand devices still needs improvement.

An object of the present invention is to alleviate, alleviate or eliminate the above-identified deficiencies of the above-identified technology, alone or in any combination, as described above with respect to the existing technology, and at least solve the above-mentioned problems.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in an airport stand device,

a remote sensing system configured to detect an aircraft within a sensing area (wherein the sensing area includes a stand area of a stand); and

including a controller;

The controller is

determine one or more estimated exterior surface positions on the aircraft based on sensor data received from the remote sensing system, each estimated exterior surface position being an estimated position of an associated actual exterior surface position on the aircraft; , the actual outer surface location delimits the end of the aircraft within the sensing area,

comparing the one or more estimated exterior surface locations to one or more coordinates of the stand area to determine whether at least one of the one or more estimated exterior surface locations is outside of the stand area;

if at least one of the one or more estimated exterior surface locations is determined to be outside of the stand area: configured to output an aircraft parking warning signal;

An airport stand device 100 is provided.

The term "remote sensing system" should be understood as a sensing system capable of sensing the properties of an object from a remote location. In the context of the present invention, the term remote should not be construed as being limited to very long distances, as is traditionally used in satellite remote sensing. For the interpretation of the appended claims, "rebot sensing" should be construed as being sensed within a typical stand area, i.e., an area of about 20 to 50 meters in typical dimensions from a remote sensing system, wherein the sensing is not actually in contact with an object. without (i.e. remote sensing).

The term “sensing data” is to be understood as data extracted from readings of sensors of remote sensing systems. When the object is within the sensing area, the object will be sensed, and the sensing data will be linked to the property of the object.

The term “sensing area” should be understood as a geometric area at ground level in a stand, in which the remote sensing area can accurately sense and sense an object, such as an aircraft.

The term "outer surface position" (on the aircraft) should be understood as a position determined along the exterior of the aircraft, which marks the maximum boundary of the aircraft within the stand area. Thus, the outer surface position is associated with a two-dimensional projection of the aircraft in a plane parallel to the stand area (ie, in a substantially horizontal plane). An “estimated exterior surface position” is an estimated position that aims to represent a defined exact or actual exterior surface position along the exterior surface of an aircraft. Accordingly, the estimated outer surface position may deviate from the actual outer surface position. Accordingly, the estimated outer surface position may be located within the boundaries of the aircraft, or it may be located away from the aircraft exterior surface depending on how the estimated position deviated from the actual position.

The term "stand area" is to be understood as within the area in which an aircraft may be present when safely parked on a stand. The stand area is partitioned by the sensing area and the remote sensing system, so that the stand area can be monitored as a whole. The stand area is usually smaller than the maximum usable physical area on the stand. The largest physical area may include areas in which an aircraft cannot be located for safety reasons and/or other equipment is located there. The stand area is defined in coordinates, ie in spatial coordinates. According to the invention, the coordinates define the position of the stand area in relation to the surrounding area, ie the remainder of the maximum physical area usable on the stand and/or further areas connected thereto, such as, for example, airport taxiways. are two-dimensional coordinates.

The controller may be configured to determine the one or more estimated exterior surface positions on the aircraft by extracting a position of a sensed portion of the aircraft from the sensor data and assigning the extracted position to an estimated exterior surface position. This is a direct approach. The sensor system substantially directly measures the estimated exterior surface position on the estimated aircraft.

Alternatively or additionally, the controller determines the one or more estimated exterior surface positions on the aircraft by extracting the positions of the sensed regions of the aircraft, and based on the extracted positions of the sensed regions of the aircraft, the aircraft at the stand. may be configured to estimate said one or more estimated exterior surface locations on an aircraft by determining an end of This is an indirect approach. The sensor system does not directly measure the estimated external surface position on the aircraft. Instead, they are inferred by the controller based on available sensor data. This is further explained in the following.

An airport stand arrangement can be advantageous as it can determine the geometrical constraints of all parts of the air relative to the stand and monitor whether the aircraft is positioned within an allowed area of the stand (ie, the stand area). If it is determined that one or more portions of the aircraft are not within the stand area, the device is configured to alert airport personnel and/or other systems at the airport that the aircraft is not fully parked within the stands. This warning provides a means of avoiding an accident at or near the stand. As an example of such an accident, when a taxiing aircraft is about to pass an area where another aircraft is parked, it strikes the tail of the parked aircraft with the tip of its wing. In this example, the crash occurs because the parked aircraft is not parked on the stand in a safe manner. For example, on a stand the aircraft may have stopped several meters before the stand's intended resting position. As another example, the aircraft in the stand may be of a different aircraft type than the aircraft type predicted by the stand. In either case, the tail portion of the aircraft on the stand may protrude from the stand area into an adjacent area (eg, a taxiway through which passing aircraft travel). In addition, parked aircraft or aircraft maneuvering from adjacent stands may also be involved in accidents. For example, if an aircraft at a stand is parked somewhat too close to an adjacent stand, an aircraft maneuvering toward or out of the adjacent stand may collide with the parked aircraft. Typically, these accidents involve the wingtip of an aircraft. Because aircraft are large, and their wings physically extend along different directions, pilots of slowly taxiing aircraft and/or pilots of aircraft maneuvering within adjacent stands cannot cross aircraft parked at the stands without collision. It is difficult, if not impossible, to predict.

The airport stand arrangement may consist of several interconnected units, each of which may be placed at a different location in the gate area or in the vicinity of the gate area. However, an airport stand device placed on a stand is not configured to detect aircraft in other parts of the airport, for example taxi lines (except for those parts of taxi lines in the close proximal of the stand area) or runways. .

According to some embodiments, the remote sensing system includes one of a radar-based system, a laser-based system, and an imaging system.

The remote sensing system may include a radar based system based on sensing of microwave electromagnetic radiation. Such systems emit a continuous or pulsed radar signal towards a target, and capture and sense radar pulses backscattered from the target. The radar system may include a semiconductor type radar sensor. For example, a radar sensor may be of the kind used in the automotive industry. The radar sensor can operate at 77 GHz.

The remote sensing system may alternatively or additionally include a laser-based system based on the sensing of optical electromagnetic radiation. These systems emit a continuous or pulsed laser towards a target, and capture and sense the laser backscattered from the target. Laser based systems may include beam reflection means to provide scanning capabilities. Such beam reflection means may be, for example, a scanning mirror arrangement.

The remote sensing system may alternatively or additionally include a camera that is sensitive to optical or infrared radiation. The imaging system may be used to capture the emission of natural radiation from a target. However, a camera may also be used to capture radiation emitted from a target as a result of a laser-based system. Such radiation may be scattered or reflected laser radiation, fluorescence, or phosphorescence.

In some embodiments, the airport stand device further comprises a display,

The airport stand device is further configured to detect and track the aircraft for parking at a parking position within the stand area, based on data from the remote sensing system, based on the sensing and tracking of the aircraft. to provide pilot steering guidance information on the display to assist a pilot of the aircraft in steering the aircraft towards the parking position.

An airport stand device is disclosed.

This means that the airport stand device may be an aircraft docking system, or at least an airport stand device having an aircraft docking function.

However, the airport stand device can also be thought of as a separate device on the stand. Such an airport stand device can use its own remote sensing system independent of all remote sensing systems of a potential docking system coexisting on the stand. Such an airport stand device may be configured to communicate with an aircraft docking system at the stand. Alternatively or additionally, such an aircraft docking system may be configured to communicate directly with an airport's system, such as, for example, an airport operational database (AODB).

According to some embodiments, the controller is configured to determine one or more estimated external surface locations on the aircraft;

The airport stand device includes a controller,

The controller is

- identifying one or more characteristic elements of said aircraft;

- for each characteristic element of said one or more characteristic elements, determining a position of each characteristic element, defining the position of one or more characteristic elements on said aircraft;

- receive aircraft dimensional data associated with said aircraft or other aircraft expected to arrive at said stand;

- configured to calculate, on the basis of said one or more characteristic element positions and said aircraft dimensional data, said one or more estimated external surface positions on said aircraft;

An airport stand device is disclosed.

The term "characteristic element of an aircraft" should be understood as a physical element of an aircraft that can be sensed by a remote sensing system. Such a characteristic element may be a nose portion of an aircraft, an aircraft engine, or the like. Each characteristic element position indicates where the corresponding characteristic element is located. If the feature element extends over a large area or volume, the feature element location can be defined using only one pair of coordinates (e.g., defining the central portion of the extended area/volume covered by the element). . However, more than one coordinate pair may be used to represent a characteristic element.

The term "aircraft dimensional data" is to be understood as any data comprising the dimensions of an aircraft. Aircraft dimensional data may be associated with a particular aircraft, a particular aircraft type and/or model, or multiple aircraft and/or aircraft types and/or models. Dimensional data may generally be the length of the aircraft, wing span, height, wing area, engine-to-engine distance, wheelbase, and the like.

By identifying the characteristic element and using the position for the characteristic element, a reference position can be determined with respect to the aircraft within the sensing area. The reference position may serve as the first piece of information needed to determine the coordinates defining the end of the aircraft within the sensing region. The second piece of information may be provided by receiving the received aircraft dimensional data. When the reference location is known, the aircraft dimensional data, together with the aircraft dimensional data, can be used to determine additional coordinates defining the ends of the aircraft body within the sensing area. The aircraft configuration associated with the sensing region must be determined, estimated, or assumed. This will be further explained below.

The aircraft dimensional data may be linked to the actual aircraft in the stand. As is already known in the prior art, the aircraft type and/or model may be identified, for example, by the airport stand device itself or alternatively by another system. However, the aircraft dimensional data could alternatively be associated with the aircraft expected to arrive at the stand. Aircraft dimension data may be received from an airport dimension database. Such a database may include aircraft dimensional data for a plurality of aircraft types and/or models. The airport dimensions database may be part of the airport operations database, but may alternatively be part of a separate database. The airport dimensions database may be part of the aircraft characteristics database.

The airport stand device may determine the aircraft type and/or model by using the identified characteristic elements of the aircraft and comparing them to aircraft dimensional data. Generally, one or more characteristic elements are identified. Thus, in accordance with some embodiments, the one or more characteristic elements of an aircraft comprises two or more characteristic elements of an aircraft, and the one or more characteristic element locations include two or more characteristic element locations.

According to some embodiments, the controller is then configured to compare the two or more characteristic element positions to an aircraft dimension database comprising aircraft dimension data for a plurality of aircraft types and/or models. If a match is found between the two or more characteristic element positions and specific aircraft dimensional data from aircraft dimensional data in a database, then the controller is configured to: and may be configured to determine a surface location.

According to an alternative embodiment, one or more estimated exterior surface locations on the aircraft are determined based on the one or more characteristic element locations and aircraft dimensional data associated with the aircraft expected to arrive at the stand. The controller may receive the dimensions directly from, for example, another system at the airport (eg an airport operations database). Alternatively, the controller receives aircraft types and/or models of aircraft expected to arrive at the stand, wherein the controller receives aircraft dimensions for a plurality of aircraft types and/or models to obtain the dimensions from an aircraft dimensions database. You may need to contact an aircraft dimension database that contains data.

According to some embodiments, a particular characteristic element of said one or more characteristic elements of an aircraft is a front portion of said aircraft, and wherein each characteristic element position of said particular characteristic element is a position of said forward portion of said aircraft.

Identifying the forward part of an aircraft has potential advantages. First, it allows the aircraft to detect faster as it approaches the stand. Second, the front part is relatively easy to identify compared to some other aircraft elements. In addition, the forward region constitutes a marker demarcating the limit range of the end of the aircraft within the sensing region.

In accordance with some embodiments, the one or more estimated exterior surface locations on the aircraft include estimated exterior surface locations of a tail portion of the aircraft.

Targeting the tail may be important as the aircraft generally enters the stand area with an arrangement in a substantially linear fashion with a predetermined lead-in line, sometimes referred to as the center line. there is. This often means that the tail of an aircraft is most exposed to collisions with other aircraft (eg, on taxiways).

According to some embodiments, the received aircraft dimensional data comprises a length of the aircraft and the controller is configured to calculate the length of the aircraft in a direction parallel to the estimated direction of the longitudinal end of the aircraft from the position of the forward portion of the forward portion. and calculate the estimated outer surface position on the tail portion of the aircraft by adding to the position.

This provides a relatively robust and fast way to compute the estimated outer surface position on the tail portion of the aircraft. The longitudinal end of the aircraft is substantially defined by the longitudinal end of the aircraft fuselage (ie, the main body of the aircraft). In this embodiment, the estimated direction of the longitudinal end of the aircraft may be the direction of the lead-in line. This estimate can often be sufficiently accurate because aircraft entering the stand area at an angle that deviate significantly from the lead-in line are likely to have their approach already stopped at an early stage for safety reasons.

Alternatively, the longitudinal end of the aircraft may be determined by an airport stand arrangement. According to some embodiments, the estimated direction of the longitudinal end of the aircraft is calculated based on at least two of said two or more characteristic element positions.

Here the estimated direction of the longitudinal end of the aircraft is calculated according to two known positions of the aircraft. If two known positions are located symmetrically on the aircraft (for example, the positions of the two aircraft engines are located on either side of the fuselage), the estimated orientation of the longitudinal ends of the aircraft can be calculated by simple geometry. there is. A more robust estimate may be obtained, for example, by utilizing two or more known positions of the aircraft (eg, three or more characteristic element positions), and alternatively or additionally, more readily available additional geometric data points of the aircraft. Airport dimension data can be used to make judgments.

According to some embodiments, the controller is configured to compare the one or more estimated external surface positions with one or more coordinates of the stand area;

The airport stand arrangement includes a controller, wherein the controller is configured to compare the estimated outer surface position of the tail portion of the aircraft with the longitudinal end of the stand area.

This embodiment provides a fast and reliable way to determine if the tail is protruding from the stand area. A “longitudinal end of the stand region” is to be understood as the end of the stand region along the center line.

According to some embodiments, at least one estimated outer surface location on the aircraft is defined on a wing tip of the aircraft.

Monitoring the wingtip can be beneficial, for example, when aircraft maneuvering towards or from an adjacent stand may be too close together. Each airport stand device located in an adjacent stand may monitor the position of the wing tip of each aircraft, and output an aircraft parking warning signal when it is determined that the wing tip position is located outside the stand area. The parking warning signal may be transmitted to an adjacent stand to warn an officer at the stand that an adjacent aircraft may be too close to the stand.

According to some embodiments, the controller is further configured as follows:

If the one or more estimated outer surface locations are determined to be inside the stand area:

and output a stand area acknowledgment signal.

Outputting a stand area acknowledgment signal can continuously make clear that the aircraft is safely parked. The stand area acknowledgment signal may be intermittently transmitted, for example, at a preset repetition frequency.

The controller comprises: an adjacent aircraft proximal to the sensing area;

airport operations database,

air traffic control, and

and transmit the stand area acknowledgment signal to or from one or more of the receiving units carried by the stand representative.

An adjacent aircraft may be an aircraft that is on an adjacent stand or that approaches/leases from a stand adjacent to the adjacent stand. The adjacent aircraft may alternatively be aircraft just passing the proximal of the stand, for example an aircraft taxying past the stand on an adjacent taxiway.

According to some embodiments, the controller is configured to output the aircraft parking warning signal,

The airport stand device includes a controller, the controller comprising:

adjacent aircraft proximal to the sensing area;

airport operations database,

ground control, and

and transmit an aircraft parking warning signal to or from one or more of the receiving units carried by the stand personnel.

Alternatively or additionally, in embodiments of an airport stand system having an aircraft docking function, such as, for example, an aircraft docking system, the controller is configured to: It may be further configured to output a parking warning signal. This may be done intermittently, for example with a preset repetition frequency, or alternatively, when the pilot indicates that he/she has parked the aircraft in a stationary position.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method implemented in an airport stand device, the stand device comprising: a remote sensing system configured to detect an aircraft in a sensing area (sensing area includes a stand area of the stand);

The method includes receiving, from a remote sensing system, sensor data associated with an aircraft sensed within a sensing area;

determine, based on the received sensor data, one or more estimated exterior surface positions on the aircraft, each estimated exterior surface position being an estimated position of an associated actual exterior surface position on the aircraft, wherein the actual exterior surface position is delimiting a limit range of an end of the aircraft within a sensing area;

comparing the one or more estimated outer surface locations to one or more coordinates of a stand area to determine whether at least one of the one or more estimated outer surface locations is outside of the stand area;

If at least one of the one or more estimated exterior surface locations is determined to be outside of the stand area:

Disclosed is a method implemented in an airport stand device, comprising outputting an aircraft parking warning signal.

According to some embodiments, determining the location of one or more exterior surfaces on the aircraft comprises:

identifying one or more characteristic elements of the aircraft;

for each characteristic element of the one or more characteristic elements, determining a position of each characteristic element to define the position of the one or more characteristic elements on the aircraft;

receiving aircraft dimensional data associated with the aircraft or other aircraft expected to arrive at the stand;

based on the one or more characteristic element positions and aircraft dimensional data, calculating the one or more estimated exterior surface positions on the aircraft.

According to some embodiments, a particular characteristic element of said one or more characteristic elements of an aircraft is a forward part of the aircraft;

each said characteristic element position of a particular characteristic element is the position of said forward portion of the aircraft;

wherein the one or more estimated outer surface locations on the aircraft comprises an estimated outer surface location of a tail portion of the aircraft;

wherein the received aircraft dimension data includes a length of the aircraft;

Calculating the one or more estimated exterior surface locations on an aircraft comprises:

calculating the estimated outer surface position on the tail portion of the aircraft by adding the length of the aircraft to the position of the forward portion in a direction parallel to (in a direction parallel to the estimated direction (parallel) of the longitudinal end of the aircraft from the position of the forward portion; Disclosed is a method implemented in an airport stand device comprising:

The effects and elements of the second and third aspects are broadly similar to those described above with respect to the first aspect. Embodiments mentioned in relation to the first aspect are broadly compatible with the second and third aspects. Further, it should be further noted that, unless explicitly stated otherwise, inventive concepts relate to all possible combinations of elements.

According to a third aspect, there is disclosed a computer-readable medium comprising computer code instructions that, when executed by an apparatus having processing capabilities, cause the method according to the second aspect to be performed.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given below. However, while the detailed description and specific examples indicate preferred embodiments of the present invention, they are by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description. It should be understood that provided

Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific component parts of the described apparatus or steps of the described method, as such apparatus and methods may vary. It will also be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the articles "a", "a", "the", "the" are intended to mean that there are one or more elements, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. . Thus, for example, reference to “a unit” or “the (or the) unit” may include multiple devices and the like. Also, the words "comprising," "having," "receiving," and similar terms do not exclude other elements or steps.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying schematic drawing, by way of illustration, which now shows a preferred embodiment of the invention.
1a and 1b show top views of an airport stand, an adjacent taxiway and two aircraft;
2 shows a top view of an airport stand device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 shows a top view of the airport stand device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 shows a top view of the airport stand device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be more fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is now shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms, and should not be construed as limited to the examples presented herein, but rather these examples are provided for completeness and completeness, and provide those skilled in the art of the present invention. Fully conveys the scope.

1A and 1B illustrate a situation at an airport that can and does happen occasionally. As shown in FIG. 1A , the aircraft 10 is parked on a stand 20 . However, for some reason, the pilot did not fully approach the rest position 160 . This caused a part of the aircraft to protrude from the stand into the adjacent taxiway 30 . However, since the aircraft airport traffic control has received information that the aircraft 10 has been successfully parked at the stand 20 , another aircraft 80 is authorized to pass the stand 20 on the taxiway 30 . . The pilot of the aircraft 80 is not aware of the protrusion of the tail portion of the aircraft 10 and cannot see the problem from its location in the cockpit. Also, he/she has definitely obtained pass approval. As shown in FIG. 1B , this leads to a collision between the right wing of the aircraft 80 and the rudder of the aircraft 10 , which may cause serious danger to passengers and ground crew, and to the aircraft involved. It can also cause enormous material damage.

To avoid the situation described above, an airport stand arrangement is disclosed.

2 shows an airport stand device 100 as a first embodiment. The airport stand apparatus 100 includes a remote sensing system 110 configured to detect an aircraft 10 within a sensing area 112 that includes a stand area 140 of the stand 20 . The sensing region 112 covers at least a portion of the stand 20 , where it also covers a portion of the adjacent guideway 20 . The remote sensing system 110 includes one or more of a radar-based system, a laser-based system, and an imaging system. The remote sensing system may include, for example, a laser-based remote sensing system configured to scan the sensing area 112 .

The airport stand device 100 further includes a display 130 , and the device 100 is configured to display a parking position 160 in the stand area 140 based on data from the remote sensing system 110 . and further configured to detect and track the aircraft 10 for parking. The airport stand device 100 is displayed on the display 130 to assist the pilot of the aircraft 10 to steer the aircraft towards the parking position 160 based on the sensing and tracking of the aircraft 10 . and provide pilot pilot guidance information. Accordingly, the airport stand device 100 has a function of an automatic docking system.

The airport stand device 100 is configured to, based on the sensor data 111 received from the remote sensing system 110 , one or more estimated external surface locations on the aircraft 10 (in this example, one estimated external surface location). and a controller 120 configured to determine a surface position 150a', each estimated exterior surface position being an associated actual exterior surface position on the aircraft 10 (in this example, an associated actual exterior surface position 150a). is the estimated location of As can be seen in FIG. 2 , in the exemplary embodiment, an estimated outer surface location 150a ′ is defined on the tail portion 10a of the aircraft 10 . The actual outer surface position 150a defines the limit of the end of the aircraft in the sensing region 112 . The estimated outer surface location 150a ′ may be different from the actual outer surface location 150a (see FIG. 2 ).

The controller 120 compares the one or more estimated external surface positions 150a' to one or more coordinates of the stand region 140 so that at least one of the one or more estimated external surface positions 150a' is determined by a stand region ( 140) is further configured to determine whether it is outside of the

Finally, the controller 120 is configured to output an aircraft parking warning signal A if it is determined that at least one of the one or more estimated exterior surface positions 150a' is outside of the stand area 140 . do. In the exemplary embodiment described herein, there is only one estimated outer surface location, the estimated location 150a' of the tail portion 10a.

The aircraft parking warning signal A can be used in different ways. In the exemplary embodiment, the controller 120 transmits, using a transmitter (not shown), an aircraft parking warning signal A, to adjacent aircraft in the vicinity of the sensing area 112 , an airport operations database, and air traffic control. and to a receiving unit carried by the stand representative. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the transmission of the warning signal A opens up many ways to reduce the risk of collision. It also improves airport ground transportation efficiency.

The controller 120 is further configured to output a stand area acknowledgment signal S if it is determined that the one or more estimated outer surface locations 150a ′ are inside the stand area 140 . The controller 120 transmits the stand area acknowledgment signal S to or from one or more of: adjacent aircraft in the sensing area, airport operations database, air traffic control, and receiving units carried by stand personnel. can be configured to

There are many alternative ways to determine one or more estimated exterior surface locations on an aircraft. One scheme for an airport stand arrangement 100 is described below.

The controller 120 is first configured to identify one or more characteristic elements 170a - c on the aircraft 10 . The controller receives the sensor data 111 from the remote sensing system 110 and analyzes the sensing data 111 . When an object is detected, the controller 120 is configured to retrieve the sensed data 111 through, for example, a pattern recognition technique, to identify a characteristic element of the aircraft. The characteristic element is preset and is linked with a specific characteristic pattern in the sensing data 111 . One such characteristic element is the front portion 170a of the aircraft 10 . Other characteristic elements include, for example, the aircraft engines 170b and 170c and the front shape of the wings.

The controller 120 is then configured to, for each characteristic element of the one or more characteristic elements, determine the respective characteristic element position to define the one or more characteristic element positions 172a - c on the aircraft 10 . Thus, the method can determine the spatial coordinates associated with a particular aircraft element.

The controller 120 may then be configured to receive aircraft dimensional data 190 associated with the aircraft 10 or other aircraft 10 ′ expected to arrive at the stand 20 . Aircraft dimensional data 190 , 190 ′ are alternatives to each other and will be described in more detail later. The controller 120 is then configured to, based on the one or more characteristic element positions 172a - c and the aircraft dimensional data 190 , 190 ′, the one or more estimated external surface positions on the aircraft 10 (in this example). , to calculate the estimated position 150a') of the tail portion. In an exemplary embodiment, the aircraft dimensional data 190 ′ includes the length L′ of the aircraft 10 ′ expected to arrive at the stand 20 , and the aircraft dimensional data 190 is located at the stand 20 . Includes the length (L) of the aircraft (10). There is an important difference between the two aircraft 10 and 10' referenced herein. That is, the length is determined by the length L estimated based on the sensing data directly obtained from the aircraft 10 existing in the sensing area 112, or transmitted to the controller 110 from another It can be determined from information on the length L' of the aircraft 10'. According to a first alternative, the aircraft 10 present within the sensing area 112 is sensed by the remote sensing system 110 . Then, based on the sensor data 111 received from the sensing system 110, the length L is directly inferred, for example, by analyzing the characteristic elements of the tail portion 10a of the aircraft 10, can be inferred indirectly. An indirect method may be advantageous, as the remote sensing system may be less accurate in detecting the characteristic element in the tail portion 10a. The airport stand device 100 may determine the two or more characteristic elements 170a - c of the aircraft, and determine the positions of the two or more characteristic elements 170a - c that are linked. One known way is to determine the position 172a of the forward portion 170a and the positions 172b, 172c of the engines 170b, 170c carried by the aircraft wing. The controller 120 compares the two or more characteristic element positions 172a - c to an aircraft dimension database 122 that includes aircraft dimensional data for a plurality of aircraft types and/or models, and the two or more characteristic element positions 172a -c) and if a match is found between the specific aircraft dimensional data 190 from the aircraft dimensional data in the database, it may be configured to obtain the aircraft length L from the specific aircraft dimensional data.

The airport stand arrangement 100 can now access at least one of the reference positions of the aircraft characteristic element, for example the characteristic element position 172a of the front portion 170a of the aircraft 10 . The device 100 may also access an estimated length L or an assumed length L′ of the aircraft 10 . As a third piece of information, the controller 120 is configured to determine the estimated direction 12 ′ of the longitudinal end of the aircraft 10 . In the airport stand apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 2 , the direction is estimated based on the assumed angular position of the aircraft with respect to the stand 20 . When an aircraft is maneuvered along a predetermined route by a pilot or tow vehicle, this clunky-looking approach may in practice be sufficient for an airport stand arrangement. In stand area 20 , at least when proximal to rest position 160 , aircraft 10 will be relatively well aligned with centerline 165 . Accordingly, it can be assumed that the estimated direction 12 ′ of the longitudinal end of the aircraft 10 is parallel to the center line 165 . The controller 110 then controls the length L of the aircraft in a direction parallel to the estimated direction 12' of the longitudinal end of the aircraft 10 from the position 172a of the front portion 170a. and calculate an estimated outer surface position 150a' on the tail portion 10a of the aircraft 10 by adding to the position 172 of 170a). A rough approximation for each position of the aircraft with respect to the stand 20 is shown in FIG. 2 , where the estimated outer surface position 150a' on the tail portion 10a of the aircraft 10 is the actual corresponding It appears some distance to the left of the outer surface location 150a. One way to account for potential inaccuracies in the estimate is to add a safety distance (T) to the estimated position. This is also shown in Fig. 2, where the estimated position 150a' of the tail portion 10a is some distance away from the actual position 150a of the tail portion 10a.

3 shows an airport stand arrangement 200 according to an alternative embodiment. The airport stand arrangement 200 shares structural elements with the airport stand arrangement 100 , wherein the controller 220 is configured to include two or more feature elements 270a-c of the aircraft associated with the two or more feature element locations 272a-c. ) and calculate an estimated direction 22' of the longitudinal end of the aircraft based on at least two of the two or more characteristic element positions 272a-c. Thus, instead of assuming an aircraft angular position with respect to the stand 20 , the longitudinal end of the aircraft 10 is determined by the airport stand arrangement 200 . The estimated direction 22 ′ of the longitudinal end of the aircraft 10 is to be calculated by comparing the positions 272a - c of two or more characteristic elements of the aircraft with the coordinates of the stand area 140 or the coordinates of the centerline 165 . can The aircraft length may be determined for an aircraft 10 (length L) within stand 20 or aircraft 10' (length L') expected to arrive at stand 20 . The controller 220 then converts the lengths L, L' from the position 272a of the forward portion 270a in a direction parallel to the estimated direction 22' of the longitudinal end of the aircraft to the forward portion 270a of the aircraft. ) can be configured to calculate an estimated outer surface position 250a ′ on the tail portion 10a of the aircraft 10 . As shown in FIG. 3 , this may provide improved accuracy for the estimated position 250a ′ of the tail portion 10a .

Here, the tail part of the aircraft has been described so far. However, other parts of the aircraft may also be involved in accidents if they protrude unknowingly from the stand area 120 .

Fig. 4 shows such a scenario and at the same time shows an airport stand device 300 according to another exemplary embodiment. The airport stand arrangement 300 shares structural elements with the airport stand arrangements 100 , 200 , but differs here in that the controller 320 determines an arbitrarily estimated external surface position along the boundary of the aircraft 10 . .

First, we note that the aircraft 10 is standing within the stand area 140, with both the tail portion 10b and the right wing portion 10c projecting out of the stand area. The airport stand device 100, 200 may be configured to estimate the position of the tail portion 10a, whereas the device 100, 200 may not be configured to detect the position of the left wing portion 10c.

However, in the airport stand device 300, the controller 320 identifies the characteristic element 370a-c, and after determining the position 372a-c linked to the characteristic element, the two or more characteristic element positions 372a-c ) and aircraft dimensional data for a plurality of aircraft types and/or models, compared to an aircraft dimension database 122 , and from two or more characteristic element locations 372a - c and aircraft dimensional data in database 122 for a specific aircraft. If a match is found between the dimensional data 190, 190', then based on the two or more characteristic element locations 372a-c and the specific aircraft dimensional data 190, 190', the one or more estimated and determine the outer surface positions 350a'-c'.

Accordingly, the two or more reference positions of the aircraft in the airport stand arrangement 300 (ie, characteristic element positions 372a-c) are not used solely to determine or merely obtain the length of the aircraft, but alternatively or additionally to the aircraft 10 can be used to infer other dimensions related to These dimensions may be, but are not limited to, the length of the aircraft, the wing span, the height, the wing area, the distance between engines, the wheel base, and the like. Given sufficient input data from the aircraft dimensions database 122, the controller 320 may be configured to determine all positions along the aircraft boundary, including the positions of the wingtip portions 10b, 10c.

A person skilled in the art recognizes that the present invention is in no way limited to the preferred embodiments described above. On the contrary, many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. Additionally, modifications to the disclosed embodiments may be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention from a study of the drawings, the disclosure and the appended claims.

Claims (16)

In the airport stand device 100,
a remote sensing system 110 configured to sense an aircraft 10 within a sensing area 112 , the sensing area 112 including a stand area 140 of a stand 20 ; and
including a controller 120,
The controller 120,
Based on the sensor data 111 received from the remote sensing system 110 , one or more estimated outer surface locations 150a ′ on the aircraft 10 are determined, each estimated outer surface location comprising the an estimated position of an interlocked actual exterior surface position 150a on the aircraft 10, the actual exterior surface position 150a delimiting an end of the aircraft within the sensing area 112;
Comparing the one or more estimated outer surface locations 150a ′ to one or more coordinates of the stand area 140 , at least one of the one or more estimated outer surface locations 150a ′ is external to the stand area 140 . to determine whether it is in
if at least one of the one or more estimated exterior surface locations (150a') is determined to be outside the stand area (140): configured to output an aircraft parking warning signal (195);
Airport stand device (100). According to claim 1,
wherein the at least one estimated outer surface location on the aircraft comprises an estimated outer area location (150'a) of the tail portion (10a) of the aircraft;
Airport stand device (100). 3. The method of claim 1 or 2,
The remote sensing system 110 includes one or more of a radar-based system, a laser-based system, and an imaging system.
Airport stand device (100). 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The airport stand device further comprises a display 130,
The airport stand device 100 detects and tracks the aircraft 10 for parking at a parking location 160 within the stand area 140 based on data from the remote sensing system 110 . and based on the sensing and tracking of the aircraft (10), the display (130) for assisting a pilot of the aircraft (10) to steer the aircraft toward the parking position (160). configured to provide pilot pilot guidance information on the
Airport stand device (100). 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
the controller (120) is configured to determine one or more estimated outer surface locations (150') on the aircraft;
The airport stand device 100 includes a controller,
The controller is
- identifying one or more characteristic elements 170a-c of the aircraft 10;
- for each characteristic element of said one or more characteristic elements (170a-c), determining each characteristic element position, defining one or more characteristic element positions (172a-c) on said aircraft (10);
- receive aircraft dimensional data (190; 190') associated with the aircraft (10) or other aircraft (10') expected to arrive at the stand (20);
- based on the one or more characteristic element positions 172a - c and the aircraft dimensional data 190 ; 190 ′, configured to calculate the one or more estimated outer surface positions 150a ′ on the aircraft 10 . ,
Airport stand device (100). 6. The method of claim 5,
a particular characteristic element of the one or more characteristic elements of the aircraft is a front portion (170a) of the aircraft;
the characteristic element position of each particular characteristic element is the position 172a of the forward portion 170a of the aircraft;
wherein the at least one estimated outer surface location on the aircraft comprises an estimated outer surface location (150'a) of a tail portion (10a) of the aircraft;
Airport stand device (100). 7. The method of claim 6,
The received aircraft dimension data (190; 190') includes the length (L) of the aircraft (10),
The controller 120 is configured to adjust the length L of the aircraft in a direction parallel to the estimated direction 12' of the longitudinal end of the aircraft from the position 172a of the forward portion 170a. configured to calculate the estimated outer surface location (150a') on the tail portion (10a) of the aircraft (10) by adding to the location (172a) of the portion (170a);
Airport stand device (100). 8. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7,
wherein the one or more characteristic elements of the aircraft include two or more characteristic elements (270a-c) of the aircraft;
wherein the one or more characteristic element positions include two or more characteristic element positions (272a-c);
Airport stand device (200). 8. The method of claim 7,
wherein the estimated direction (22') of the longitudinal end of the aircraft is calculated based on at least two or more of the two or more characteristic element positions (272a-c);
Airport stand device (200). 9. The method of claim 8,
the controller 220 is configured to determine one or more estimated external surface locations on the aircraft;
The airport stand device 200 includes a controller,
The controller is
comparing the two or more characteristic element locations (272a-c) to an aircraft dimension database (122) comprising aircraft dimensional data for a plurality of aircraft types and/or models;
If a match is found between the two or more feature element locations 272a-c and the specific aircraft dimension data 190; 190' from the aircraft dimension data in the database 222:
configured to determine the one or more estimated outer surface locations (250a') on the aircraft (10) based on the two or more characteristic element locations (172a-c) and the specific aircraft dimensional data (190; 190');
Airport stand device (200). 11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The controller 120,
If the one or more estimated outer surface locations 150a' are determined to be inside the stand area:
further configured to output a stand area acknowledgment signal (S),
Airport stand device (100). 12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
The controller 120 is configured to output the aircraft parking warning signal 195,
The airport stand device 100 includes a controller,
The controller is
adjacent aircraft proximal to the sensing area;
airport operations database,
ground control, and
Receiving unit carried by stand personnel
configured to transmit the aircraft parking warning signal to or from one or more of
Airport stand device (100). In the method implemented in the airport stand device 100,
The stand apparatus 100 includes a remote sensing system 110 configured to detect an aircraft 10 in a sensing area 112 , wherein the sensing area 112 includes a stand area 140 of the stand 20 . including,
The method is
receiving, from the remote sensing system (110), sensor data (111) associated with an aircraft (10) sensed within the sensing area (112);
Determine, based on the received sensor data 111 , one or more estimated external surface positions on the aircraft 10 , wherein each estimated external surface position is an associated actual external surface position on the aircraft 10 ( 150a), wherein the actual outer surface position (150a) delimits the limit of the end of the aircraft within the sensing area (112);
Comparing the one or more estimated outer surface locations 150a ′ to one or more coordinates of the stand area 140 , at least one of the one or more estimated outer surface locations 150a ′ is external to the stand area 140 . Steps to determine whether in
if it is determined that at least one of the one or more estimated exterior surface locations (150a') is outside the stand area (140): outputting an aircraft parking warning signal (195);
A method implemented in the airport stand device 100 . 14. The method of claim 13,
Determining the location of one or more exterior surfaces on the aircraft comprises:
identifying one or more characteristic elements (170a-c) of the aircraft (10);
for each characteristic element of the one or more characteristic elements (170a-c), determining each characteristic element location to define one or more characteristic element locations (172a-c) on the aircraft (10);
receiving aircraft dimensional data (190; 190') associated with the aircraft (10) or other aircraft (10') expected to arrive at the stand (20);
calculating the one or more estimated exterior surface positions 150a' on the aircraft 10 based on the one or more characteristic element positions 172a-c and the aircraft dimensional data 190; 190'; containing,
A method implemented in the airport stand device 100 . 15. The method of claim 14,
a particular characteristic element of the one or more characteristic elements of the aircraft is a front portion (170a) of the aircraft;
the characteristic element position of each particular characteristic element is the position 172a of the forward portion 170a of the aircraft;
the one or more estimated outer surface locations (150a'-c') on the aircraft comprises an estimated outer surface location (150a') of a tail portion (10a) of the aircraft;
The received aircraft dimension data (190; 190') includes the length (L) of the aircraft (10),
Calculating the one or more estimated exterior surface locations on the aircraft comprises:
The length L of the aircraft in a direction parallel to the estimated direction 12' of the longitudinal end of the aircraft from the position 172a of the front portion 170a to the position of the front portion 170a calculating the estimated outer surface location (150a') on the tail portion (10a) of the aircraft (10) by adding to (172a);
A method implemented in the airport stand device 100 . 16 , comprising computer code instructions that, when executed by an apparatus having processing capability, cause the method according to any one of claims 13 to 15 to be performed.
A computer-readable medium.

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